Folding bed



(No Model.)

o. WILLIAMS.

FOLDING BBB.

Patented Teb. 20,1883..

N, PETERS. huma-Ww, lv-.mmm nA C.

ATENT OFFICEc CHARLES WILLIAMS, OF CHICAGO; ILLINOIS.

FOLDING Btp-:Dl

SPECIFICATION forming To all relient it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES WILLIAMS, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Beds; and I do hereby declare that the followingis afull, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letteis of reierencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to .that class of wardrobe or folding bedsteads in which th'e bed-box or portion supporting the mattress iS hinged at one end to a stationary part to which the head-board belongs, inorder that the bedbox may be let down into a horizontal position for use and folded up into vertical position when not iu use.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the lower portion of a wardrobe-bedstead when folded, constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig..2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, with the folding portion in position`for use. Fig.'3 is a fragmentary perspective rear view of the stationary part and of the hinge-connection by which the bed-box is secured thereto. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section of the lower portion of the bedstead when folded.

A is the stationary portion of the bedstead,

'to which the folding portion or bed-box is .at--

tached. The part A comprises the head-board a and a rectangular forward extension, A', at the bottom, which rests on the oor, and the upwardly-extended side pieces, a', joined to the head-board. Upon the inside faces of the ends et' of the extension A' are attached bearing-blocks C C-one at each end-which may be made movable, as shbwn in Fig. 4, for a purpose hereinafter described. rIhe upper surfaces of said blocks C are curved downward and rearwardly from the top ofthe extension to or near the floor, at a point in Vor nearly in the plane of the front face of the bed-box when thellatter is inan upright position. Said blocks are intended asthe means for supporting the bed-box when in a horizontal position, and serve as ways over which the bed-box rides or rocks when being raised and lowered.

part of Letters atent No. 272,502, dated February '20, 1883. Application tiled November 24, 1882. (No model.) n

The opposite end of lthe bed-box is upheld 'by legs B', hinged or otherwiseattached thereto.

Suitable means are employed to retain the bed-box in proper position upon the rounded ways c c. Such means may consist of exible straps D D',which, as illustrated in the drawings, are attached alternately at their opposite the under surface ofthe bed adjacent thereto, in a manner common in connecting tilting surfaces-that is to say, the straps D are attached at one end to the upper or front end of the rounded way c, and' at the other to the lower edge of the end b of the bed-box B, and the straps D' are arranged at the side of the straps D, and are attached at one end to the bottom of the curved ways c, and at the other to tlle face of the bed-box. The straps D may preferably support the weight of the bed-box when itis in a vertical position, and are in this ease made. of such length as to hold it a'short dist-ance above the lower surface ot' the blocks C C. Vhen thus connected, as the front edge of the bed-box is alone supported by the stra-ps,

head-board, so that no other means are necessary to prevent such bed-box from falling forward. .It' desired7 however,casters may be applied to the head end of the bedbox to receive its weight, or a frame-piece may be attached tom thereof for the same purpose, and the whole structure sustained on casters beneath said stationary part of the bed. i

As represented in the drawings, the straps straps D', attached to the lower ends of the ways c and to the front face of the bed-box,

co-operate with the straps D, to prevent the ends to the ends of the curved ways and to its upper portion tends to ipress against the to the stationary part of the bed at the bot-y D D' are made of metal, and are attached at IOOV bed-box from being displaced in laterally moving the bedstead when in a lowered position. The straps D may be dispensed with without affecting the operation in other respects of the devices described, and when the straps D are of metal they are usually sufficiently stili' to retain the bed-box in proper position in moving the same, as described, without the straps D'. When a single strap ou either side is used, the surface of the curved ways may be covered with felt or similar material, so that the surface ofthe bed-box resting thereon may not be injured or det'aced.

The projecting portion A of the stationary part A is provided with a cover or lid, E, which may be used to form a foot-board to the bed by slipping the ends e' eot' the cleats e upon the bottom piece, b2, of the bed B, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The lid E, when iu position upon the projection A'. serves to pievent the bed-box from falling down in case it is thrown forward at the top by accident, and for this purpose the front ends ot' the cleats c thereon are arranged to t against the inner face of the front piece, a3, so as to prevent the said lid from sliding forward from its place.

Upon the upper edge ofthe head-board bot' the bed-box is a hinged piece, b', which is turned back against the head-board a, so as to close the space between the end ofthe bedboxl and the head-board when the bed is in use, and is folded against the side pieces ol the bed-box when the latter is turned up into a vertical position.

The end piece, b, of the bed-box may be brought beneath the head board a and in line with it by making the curved bearing-blocks C G movable upon slides or rollers in the projection A', so that they may be pushed backward together with the hed-box al'ter the latteris lowered and the folding piece b' dispensed with. Provision for such movement ot' the A blocks C is shown in Fig. 4., wherein e2 are in front when the said bed-box is folded up, is paneled and otherwise ornamented so as to resemble the front of a wardrobe, asis customary in bedsteads ot' this character, and it is intended that a suitable counterbalancingweight shall be placed at the head of the bedbox.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a folding bcdstead, the combination, with a tilting bed-box, of a stationary part provided with upwardly and forwardly curved ways or supports in front of the bed-box when the latter is in a vertical position, substantially as described.

2. 1n a folding bedstead, the combination, with a bed-box and upwardly and forwardly curved supports, ot' meansvt'or retaining the bed-box upon such supports when said bed-box is raised or lowered, substantially as described.

3. In a folding bedstead, the combination, with the bed-box and upwardly and forwardly curved supports, of' a flexible strap, D, connecting1r the box with t'he said supports, substantially as described.

4. In a folding hedstead, the combination, with a bed-box, P, and rounded supports C, ot' the straps D and D', oppositely connected with the box and supports, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a stationary part, A A', and a bed-box, B, supports C for the bed-box, movably attached to the stationary part, substantially` as described.

(l. In combination with the b1.vardlypro jecting stationary part A' and bed-box B, a removable lid, E, for the part A', adapted, when in place on the latter, to retain the bedboX in a vertical position, substantially as described.

In testimony that Iclaim the foregoingas my invention I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' CHARLES WILLIAMS. lVi tnesses:

M. E. DAYTON, CYRUs KEHR. 

